KARACHI:
According to the data released by the Bureau of Immigration, more than 727,000 Pakistanis migrated overseas for employment last year, broadly matching the outflow recorded in 2024 when 727,381 workers left the country. The figures reveal that the exodus spans all skill levels. Over 400,000 unskilled and over 200,000 skilled workers secured jobs abroad in 2025. Saudi Arabia remains the top employment destination by a wide margin.
The Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis should compile a comprehensive database of migration taking place for work and economic reasons. This data should be analysed for any positive or negative repercussions on our key internal sectors such as healthcare, banking, engineering and education as we position ourselves for the takeoff stage.
Migration for work overseas is a very important asset for us but we must ensure that the rate of replacement in our key sectors is maintained. Usually, it is often hard to find the replacement of a hard-working, intelligent, qualified and competent professional, who has left the country for financial reasons.
Abbas R Siddiqi
Lahore
